


Nightmare

by rootsbeforebranches



Category: NCIS
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 22:49:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16752952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rootsbeforebranches/pseuds/rootsbeforebranches
Summary: After Ellie had a nightmare in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep, she calls Nick.





	Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> English isn't my first language so I hope you excuse any mistakes.

Ellie woke up panting and covered in sweat.

She's had the same nightmare again, the same one that woke her up almost every night and had her unable to have a restful sleep.  
Ellie sat up in bed and buried her head in her hands, still shaken by her horrifying dream.  
A look at her phone told her it was 3 am, and due to the time and her having to go to work later in the day, she sighed and tried to take a few deep breaths to calm down so that she would be able to go back to sleep, but when she closed her eyes she saw images of her nightmare resurface.

Realizing that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep like this, she got out of her bed and went to the kitchen to drink a glass of water.  
Afterward, she laid down in bed again and in the darkness of the night, she stared up at the ceiling for a while, until she finally decided to try to fall asleep again.

She stayed in her bed for a whole hour but was tossing around in her bed every few minutes.  
Frustrated with her inability to go back to sleep, she turned on her bedside-lamp and took hold of her phone that was situated on her nightstand.  
She dialed a number but then hesitated to actually make the call, so she ended up just staring at her phone screen for several minutes.

After internally debating in her mind whether to call or not, she finally made up her mind.  
She pressed her phone against her ear and waited for the receiver of the call to pick up, hoping that he would respond in spite of the time she was calling.

After a few nerve-wracking seconds, in which only the beeping sound of the phone could be heard, she was relieved to finally hear his voice.  
''B? What's wrong? Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?'' his voice clearly sounded sleepy and rough, indicating that he had just woken up due to her call.  
''I didn't want to wake you up, but I... I had that nightmare again, and I couldn't go back to sleep, and I just think I... needed to hear your voice. To be sure that you're alright.'' she reluctantly told him in a quiet voice.  
When he spoke again, she could hear that his voice sounded more awake now.  
''Hey, I told you, I'm fine, Ellie. It was just a nightmare, nothing more''.

''That's exactly the point, Nick. It wasn't just a nightmare. It was real, and it did happen. You could have died.'' Her voice was louder now, so it was obvious to him that his dismissal of the matter had upset her. And she was indeed upset, angry even. Ellie couldn't understand how he could just ignore and forget that he had almost been killed a few weeks ago when he had been shot during a case. He pulled through, in the end, but it had been a close call. And unlike him, she wasn't able to just forget about it, which became clear because of her nightmares, in which Nick always ended up dying one way or the other.

''But I didn't, Ellie.'' he tried to convince her in a gentle tone, but she didn't respond, just stayed silent on the other end of the phone line, so he tried a different approach.  
''Alright, I'm coming over to your apartment. I'll be there in 10 minutes'' he said and then hang up before she even had the chance to disagree.  
Ellie was about to tell him that he didn't have to, but he had ended the call too quickly for her to do so, so the only thing she did was just sigh and put her phone back on her nightstand again.

Ten minutes later, she heard a knock on her front door that announced Nick's arrival.  
She opened the door and let him in and they both moved towards her couch and sat down on it.  
He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her towards him so that her head was resting against his shoulder.  
''I'm sorry about not being more sensitive about this. I just... don't want you to worry about me.  
The wound has healed, Ellie, the only thing that's left of it is a scar. And I didn't die, I'm still here, I'm still alive. Yes, it was a close call, but we all know the risks that come with our job choice really well, and the possibility of being hurt or even being killed is a constant threat we face. But I promise that I will do whatever I can to make sure that I never leave you.'' he told her in a gentle voice, his eyes focused on her face.

She slightly nodded at his assertion, knowing that he was right, but she still couldn't help sobbing quietly.  
''I know...I know that... but in that situation, I was just... so scared that you would die... that I was going to lose you as well, and I can't get that thought out of my mind, can't get rid of that feeling.'' she told him as he saw a tear slide down her cheek.  
He dropped a kiss on her temple and wrapped her in a real embrace, his arms tight around her and her face buried in his shoulder so that her tears were staining his shirt. He didn't mind, though.  
''You're not going to lose me, Ellie. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere.''

However, despite his words, he could see that her mood was still quite down, so he made a suggestion.  
''Would you feel better if I stayed with you tonight?''  
His eyes carefully observed the look on her face, but for a few seconds, she didn't give any kind of reaction, until he finally saw her give a slight nod.  
''Okay, then let's go back to sleep so that we won't be too tired to properly work later on today'' he told her and removed his arms from around her and slowly stood up, then he reached out his hand to pull her up from the couch as well.

Together they went into her bedroom and lay down in her bed.  
After the lamps were turned off, they cuddled up in bed and Nick embraced her again.  
He saw that she was looking at him, and he could see that she was tired, so he told her to close her eyes and try to go to sleep now that he was with her.  
''Thank you for staying with me, Nick'' she whispered as her eyes finally closed, her head resting on his shoulder, using him as a pillow.  
''Don't mention it, it's no trouble at all.'' he softly told her in a quiet voice with a small and gentle smile on his face as he placed a kiss on her cheek, after which he closed his eyes as well.

Some minutes later, both of them were sound asleep in each other's arms.


End file.
